Business Aviation Insider

Feature Story

Go Arounds Are a Key Element in Preventing Excursions

Almost two of every three accidents involving business aviation turbojets
are approach- and landing-related, and the majority of those mishaps are due
to runway excursions – defined as “an aircraft on the runway surface going
”

“As accident rates are decreasing, runway excursions are increasing,”
said Steve Charbonneau, secretary of NBAA’s Safety Committee, which
recently completed a safety focus project on runway excursion prevention.
Furthermore, notes Doug Carr, NBAA’s vice president safety, security
& regulation, “We have seen that the consequences of a runway excursion
usually involve substantial damage to aircraft and injuries to people.”

Training to ‘Go Around’

According to Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), the top four risk factors in
landing excursions (one in five excursions is take off related) include:
a go-around not being conducted; touchdown long, approach fast; touchdown
fast; and ineffective braking because of runway contamination. And, “when it comes to risk factors
in runway excursions, it really doesn’t matter if you fly a Boeing, an Airbus,
a Gulfstream or a Dassault – the primary risk factors are very similar,”
said Jim Burin, director of technical programs for FSF.

Failure to go around contributes to one-third – and is the primary cause
– of all landing excursion accidents, according to FSF data. Overall, the lack
of go-arounds is the leading risk factor in approach and landing accidents.

“We need to remember that a go-around is a normal procedure,”
said Pat Daily, managing director of consulting firm Convergent Performance,
who gave a presentation on runway excursions at a recent NBAA Regional Forum.

“‘Go around’ are the two least-used words in aviation,” said Daily. “These
are not just simulator procedures.” Daily noted that companies should be pleased if their go-around numbers
are going up, meaning that pilots are taking fewer chances and aborting an unstable or otherwise risky approach
and/or landing. ”

It’s important to note that many approach and landing accidents result
from poorly executed go-arounds, according to Burin of FSF. “The two primary issues with go-arounds are
the decision to make one and then the execution of the go-around,”
said Burin, who recommended that go-around policies and criteria be
reinforced through training. In certain instances – for example, once thrust
reversers (or their equivalent) have been activated – a go-around is no
longer an option.

Calculating Landing Risks

Having stabilized approach criteria incorporated into a flight department’s
standard operating procedures (SOPs) also is part of the key to
reducing runway excursions, said Burin. Although FSF and NBAA
encourage pilots to always follow the elements of a stabilized approach,
Burin cautioned that approaches will vary depending on the recommended
landing guidelines from aircraft manufacturers. Unfortunately, in a study of more than one million flights, FSF
found that only 1.4 percent of the 35,000 unstabilized approaches made
resulted in a go-around. Furthermore, landing risks can happen even with
stabilized approaches. However, Charbonneau notes that there are “strong associations with unstable
approaches and long, hard and fast landings” – all of which can contribute

Knowing When to Apply Safety Margins

Calculating the proper landing distance as accurately as possible also is imperative.
This includes correctly assessing the environmental conditions on the
runway and properly gauging the correct aircraft performance given the
actual runway conditions. “Operators need to develop policies to compel
flightcrew to verify the runway condition prior to landing and apply sufficient
safety margins to certified landing distances,” said Charbonneau.

Wet or contaminated runways must be taken into consideration, as should
crosswinds and tailwinds. For instance, FSF’s safe landing guidelines recommend no more than a 10-knot tailwind for a non-contaminated

“The desire to successfully accomplish the mission must be balanced
with the reasonable and calculated expectation of accurate aircraft
performance, especially during conditions of reduced aircraft-braking
performance, such as on wet or icy runways,” said NBAA’s Carr.

Limiting the number of runway excursions is key to reducing the
number of accidents in business aviation.

Charbonneau encourages all flight departments to develop a landing strategy,
and follow three key guidelines: